Overview

At the very first glance Milan displays its proclivity for everything flashy – fashion, food, business and even the city attractions. Milan believes in living life king size and this gregarious attitudes makes this wonderful city one of the most traveled destinations in the world. It may not have the heritage of restaurant or the renaissance beauty of Florence, but it has that lifestyle that simply grabs you. One visit is never enough and people come here over and over for there is always something that got left out the last time around.

The city of Milan

Situated on the plains of the Po valley, Milan is Italy’s second largest country and the unofficial capital. It seduces visitors with its curious and engaging mix of the old and the new, of uber-chill, sober mornings and raucous night life. if there is the Duomo to be marveled at there is also the high street, designer labeled fashion that has an eye on the future. Money speaks loudest in Italy’s “Poster Boy”, creativity is all- pervasive and that is why Milan is the creative capital of Europe.

As a literal gateway between continents, Malpensa sees millions of passengers every year and tourist traffic to the city is always an astronomical figure. If people are not there for business, they are on a shopping spree and there is always a large bunch that arrives for the lure of all the architecturally superior monuments, for Da Vinci’s Last Supper and for Michelangelo’s last sculpture.

Whatever addiction is dragging you to Milan, beware that it’s not a city easy to let go and there would always be a second time. For the first timers – we are peeling the layers here.

The Milan Yarn

Remnants of Mediolanum

Milan was founded by a group of meandering Insubri Celts who claimed the land as their own somewhere around 400 B.C. They of course had to work at the Etruscans who were the original settlers but were by now in decline. The city was ultimately conquered by the Romans in 222 BC and names Mediolanum. There were the usual attempts at rebellion by the Gauls, but the Romans finally claimed the territory and it became a permanent Latin colony in 89 B.C. eventually being promoted to the status of the regional capital in 15 B.C. The Romans kept a tight hold over the city for its superior strategic position and Mediolanum acquired the name “Roma secunda”. After 313 A.D., the year in which the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Tolerance towards Christianity, the city saw the construction of many churches and the appointment of its first bishop - Bishop Ambrose who was influential enough to have the Church be named the Ambrosian Church.

Milan’s fortunes fell with the fall of the Roman Empire, Milan came into the hands of the blood-thirsty Barbarians, until it was conquered by the Longobards, better known as Lombards, in 569 A.D. Towards the end of the 8th century, the bishops managed to use the influence to full extent, forcing an alliance with the emperors: Ottone of Saxony, who was crowned King of Italy in the Church of Sant’Ambrogio, made this power even more legitimate.

In the first half of the year 1000, The Archbishop of Milan saw his political powers rise high enough to make him the most powerful political figure in the whole of Northern Italy. However, this was not a very happy situation for the populace and eventually, after a series of political ups and downs, Milan became a Commune in 1117 AD, freeing itself from the Archbishop. This new event gave Milan the confidence to expand its territories by declaring war on other municipalities in the nearby area. During this period the city was governed by democratic laws and built the Palazzo della Ragione as a seat of its political self-rule.

This was also the time when an attempt was made by Frederick I of Swabia to take over the city. This gave rise to the birth of the Lombard League, which fought for the city’s independence, and which ended in 1176 after the defeat of Barbarossa. From 1200 onwards, Milan’s fortunes saw a steady rise as it became an increasingly important city. The city converted from a Commune to a Seigniory, the city walls were extended, new buildings were built and roads were paved. A period of wealth and splendor began when the Visconti family, seigniors of Bergamo, Cremona, Piacenza, Brescia and Parma came to power in 1300. Milan saw the building of opulent monuments like the famous Duomo in 1386, which soon became the city’s symbol. The Sforza family took over from the Viscontis, and with them they brought peace after many years of warring against Venice and Florence.

The Sforza family's rule coincided with the Renaissance period in Italy and during Francesco's rule the city saw a golden era; the city was transformed into a powerful metropolis, building among other things the Castello Sforzesco (left) and the Ospedale Maggiore (now Ca' Granda). Also built during these years were the Castle and the Duomo along with the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Under the Sforza duchy the city also saw development in the sciences, arts and architecture. Ludovico Sforza proved to be a good ruler encouraging agricultural development and the silk industry and for patronizing architects like Donato Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci to his court, making the city one of Italy's great centers of art and culture.

Two hundred years of Spanish rule started when Charles V came to the throne in 1535. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Austrians arrived in Milan and the city underwent a deep cultural changed under its new rulers; the La Scala Theater – where Giuseppe Verdi made his debut – was built, together with many neoclassical buildings and the Arco Della Pace. In 1859, the Austrians were driven out of Milan and the city was annexed to the Kingdom of Piedmont, which subsequently became the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Milan was immediately chosen as the economic and cultural capital of Italy, and has maintained this title up to modern days.

Spring, summer or when you can

The foggy cold winters and the hot and humid summers give Milan the same curious mix that defines everything else in the city. Blessed with a classic Mediterranean weather, the city is saved from the scathing Arctic chills by the mountains to the north but some just slip through the cracks, so watch out for this icy sabers. Summers almost always bring heat waves that get you all hot and bothered under the collar and the soggy, humid August is powerful enough to even drive the locals out.

That said the best time to get to Milan is springtime. You could also give early summer and autumn a shot for their mild weather. In the end, if you cut the summer months out, Milan is a welcoming place full of things to do and shops to explore, nearly all of the year… take your pick!